We all step inside, and this room is different than the other two apartments. It has padding on the entire floor, with a large space in the center for what I assume is fighting practice. Various weights and gym equipment line the edges. This room also has no windows. Instead, a mirror is fixed on the wall where windows once were.
I stare at myself. I look like I just rolled out of Lennox’s bed, and I guess, technically, I did. I look scrawny and puny beneath Lennox’s oversized shirt. I don’t look like I’m about to work out.
And still, this feels like the first right decision I’ve made in a long while. I pull out my phone and send Kit a quick text. Then I stretch my arms over my head, trying to prepare for what Hayes will teach me.
I hear the door open a second later and see Gage entering, whispering something to Lennox. They each have a mug of coffee in their hands as they pull up chairs on the edge of the mat. Apparently, they think whatever Hayes is going to try to teach me will be entertaining.
“So what do you know, gorgeous?” Hayes asks playfully.
I ignore his flirtatious shenanigans. “Nothing.”
His smile drops. “It can’t be nothing. You’ve grown up as Vincent Corsi’s daughter. You were hunted your entire life. Ri was your best friend. They had to have taught you something.”
“Vincent taught me nothing. That’s why he employed Ri—she’s the strong one, and I’m the weak one. Ri tried to teach me, but I was young, and it just didn’t come naturally. She ran out of time before I was sent away.”
Hayes looks from me to the guys behind me, raising his brows in disbelief.
“Okay, then.” He pulls his hair up into a bun and adjusts his glasses. “I would love to start with the basics—form, strength, stamina—but given that someone is trying to kill you every other day, let’s start with basic self-defense moves first, and you can simultaneously work on your overall strength.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll show you some basic strikes first and then how to get out of a hold and bindings.”
My cheeks heat slightly at the last time I was in bindings and how turned on I felt as Lennox tried to scare me.
“Rialta?” Hayes asks, waving his hand in front of my eyes.
“Yes?”
“Where did you go?” He grins so fucking wide.How can someone smile so much and be this happy while knowing he could die any time he leaves his apartment?
“Nowhere. I’m focused.”
“Good.”
Hayes moves my arms, legs, and core to help me into different attack positions. He helps me keep my abs tight as I attack. He stands close and makes me laugh, and keeps me at ease as I try to strike him and fail miserably. I usually don’t make contact with him, but if I do, I don’t hit him hard enough to kill a fly on his body, let alone stop his attack.
Hayes doesn’t say anything negative, though. He’s nothing but encouraging and positive. He’s a great motivational speaker. He could convince me I’m capable of flying an airplane after only an hour of practice—which isn’t exactly a good thing.
I fall to the floor, somehow tripping instead of landing a swift kick to Hayes’s groin like he showed me. I’m covered in sweat, my hair has fallen from my ponytail, and I’m exhausted.
Hayes extends his hand to me. “Not bad; let’s give it another try.”
“Not bad? That’s the worst attempt at a kick I’ve ever seen. She’s not going to fend off an attacker for even a second,” Lennox says.
I gruff as I stand up. “If you think I’m so bad, then why don’t you teach me?”
Lennox laughs. “I have no patience, unlike Hayes. I’m not good at motivational speeches, either. You wouldn’t like me teaching you.”
I ball my hands into fists, feeling anger welling inside me.
Hayes stands between me and Lennox, regaining my attention. “Let’s try something different. Tell me what you’re good at. Did you play any sports in high school? Were you a runner, a swimmer, a—”
“She’s an artist. An excellent illustrator, painter, and sculptor,” Kit says from the doorway.
I smile and run to him. It’s been an exhausting couple of days. All I’ve wanted to do was see him, even though I’m technically married.
I throw my arms around his neck and pull him to me for a firm kiss. I’m safe. He’s safe.But how do I keep him safe?